Page 137 of The Clover Chapel (Jamison Valley 2)
“Have you been waiting awhile to say that to me for once?”
“Maybe.” I smiled.
Not long after we left, we were at The Black Bull and I was demolishing the steak in front of me. “This is wonderful. Thank you,” I told the waitress as she brought me my second glass of wine and Nick his third beer.
“How’s your restaurant coming along in New York?” Nick asked.
“Really well. My project manager sent me a note on Tuesday with a progress update. They have the design done and are just getting bids on construction. My chef is over the moon that the menu is going to be simple. He’s going to work on creating some special butter sauces to serve over the steaks but other than that, he’s just going to focus on getting high-quality meat and produce.”
“When will it be done?” he asked.
“It’s scheduled to close at the beginning of July when everyone leaves for the Hamptons, then open back up at the end of August,” I said.
“What’d you pick for the name?”
My cheeks flushed. I was proud of the name but embarrassed to tell Nick.
“What?” he asked.
“I asked them to name it ‘Nick’s.’ ”
His eyes sparkled as the smile grew on his face. He reached out to hold my hand, lacing his fingers with mine on the table. “Best birthday present ever.”
“I may have gotten you a little something else.”
He gave my fingers a final squeeze and then we both went back to our meals. “Should we fly out for the opening?”
“To New York?” I asked, nearly choking on a bite of green beans.
“Yeah. If it opens early enough, we could get out there and back before the school year starts.”
“You’d go with me?”
“Are you my wife?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Do I love you?”
“Yes.”
“Is the restaurant important to you?”
“Yes.”
“Then there’s your answer,” he said.
I guess we were going to New York at the end of the summer.
By the end of dinner, my nerves were making me jittery. We climbed into the truck and I sat on my hands to keep them from fidgeting.
“Can you make a right turn here?” I asked. The building that I’d bought him was located off the highway. It was only a few blocks away from the fire station and two buildings down from the sheriff’s department.
“Why?”
“Your birthday present,” I said without further explanation.
“Okay,” he said and made the turn. Nick was clearly better at enjoying surprises than I was.
